Alibi Picks

Back in 2010, writer Stephen Moss was vying to be named Oxford professor of poetry. In the midst of running (perhaps sensing he wouldn't be chosen), he posed a question to other logophiles: What is poetry for, anyway? Poet George Szirtes told Moss that the art form represents human attempts to express in words the profundity of our existence. It's a tricky proposition—giving form to the formless, speaking the unutterable. Sari Kroskinsky, an Albuquerque-based poet and publisher of online journal Fickle Muses (ficklemuses.com), has upped that ante by centering her new collection of verses, god-chaser, on (wo)man's quest to connect with the divine. Which, as you'll find at Krosinksky's book launch and reading, can take unexpected forms—sometimes mythic, sometimes mundane, often characterized by longing and contradiction. God can fight dirty, Krosinksy's writes before addressing her deity directly: “and then you bless me / for spite.” For more, go to outerchildpoetry.com.Harwood Art Center • Thu Nov 29 • 7 pm • FREE • ALL-AGES! • View on Alibi calendar